Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department) • MuckRock

9 Communications
14 Files

Communications

From: Samuel Sinyangwe

12/29/2018

Subject: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the California Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. The total number of police use of force incidents, by type of force used, between 2013-2017 (separated by year).
2. The total number of people that police used force against, between 2013-2017 (separated by year).
3. The total number of police use of force complaints reported between 2013-2017 (separated by year).
4. The total number of police use of force complaints sustained between 2013-2017 (separated by year).

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Samuel Sinyangwe

From: Muckrock Staff

01/09/2019

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 29, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Muckrock Staff

01/24/2019

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 29, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Roseville Police Department

01/24/2019

Subject: FW: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

Samuel Sinyangwe,

Please allow this correspondence to serve as the City of Roseville's acknowledgment of your below California Public Records Act request, dated January 24, 2019. Your correspondence below references an earlier December 29, 2018 request for the same records. We apologize, but the City of Roseville was closed the week between Christmas and New Years and it appears your December 29, 2018 request was never received. Nevertheless we received your follow-up correspondence today and are searching for your requested records. Thank you for your understanding and we will be in contact by the requisite deadlines with whether such records exist. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Joseph Speaker
Deputy City Attorney
City Attorney's Office
o: (916) 774-5325
f: (916) 773-7348

Civic Center | 311 Vernon Street | Roseville, CA | 95678

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message and any accompanying documents are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged attorney-client information or work product. DO NOT FORWARD. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you.

From: Roseville Police Department

01/29/2019

Subject: PRA regarding use of force statistics

This email is for Samuel Sinyangwe: I wish to comply with your request for public records relating to use of force. Your request is however very vague and I'd like to discuss and narrow down what you want regarding the information you are requesting. Please call me so I can provide the documents to you.

Lieutenant D. Blake
Professional Standards Unit
916-746-1058

From: Roseville Police Department

01/31/2019

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

Mr. Sinyangwe,

Please allow this response to serve as the City of Roseville's response to your January 24, 2019 California Public Records Act Request for:

Please note, we no longer have the requested records going back to 2013, but do have records going back as far as 2015. Based on this, the following data was extrapolated from departmental and city records going back to 2015.

In order to understand the data provided it is important to understand how "use of force" is defined by the Roseville Police Department and how data regarding uses of force are collected. Since a "use of force" can vary within a spectrum ranging from merely an officer's uniformed presence all the way through the use of lethal force, two categories have been delineated for the purpose of specified data collection. The Roseville Police Department categorizes use of force incidents as falling into one of two categories: 1) Audited Use of Force or 2) non-Audited Use of Force.

Audited uses of force require greater documentation for data collection and are defined as incidents where one or more of the following have occurred during contact with a police officer, as reported by an officer or alleged by an individual:
1) Use of force caused a visible injury, 2) use of force would lead a reasonable officer to conclude that the individual may have experienced more than momentary discomfort, 3) the individual subjected to the force complained of injury or continuing pain, 4) the individual indicates intent to pursue litigation, 5) intentional discharge of a firearm during enforcement activities, 6) any application of a taser or electronic control device, 7) any application of a restraint device other than handcuffs, shackles, hobble or belly chains, 8) the individual subjected to the force was rendered unconscious, or 9) an individual was struck or kicked.

Non-audited uses of force include any other use of force not listed above that is reported by an officer or alleged by an individual, including but not limited to 1) use of handcuffs (not resulting in injury), 2) placing someone in the back of a police car (not resulting in injury), or 2) a uniformed officer verbally ordering a person to do something.

Based on the above, below is the response to your request:

FY '15 - '16

FY '16 - '17

FY '17 - '18

"Major Injuries" (examples include: penetrating wounds, K-9 dog bites, injuries requiring
admittance to a hospital)

Either no injury reported, minor injury reported, or a complaint of pain reported

Deaths

Combined Total of above Use of Force Incidents

Number Involving Firearms

During the time period requested, Roseville Police received 2 Use of Force complaints. 1 incident was sustained and 1 incident was exonerated.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Joseph Speaker

Deputy City Attorney

City Attorney's Office

o: (916) 774-5325

f: (916) 773-7348

Civic Center | 311 Vernon Street | Roseville, CA | 95678

From: Samuel Sinyangwe

01/31/2019

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for sending this. My request is for the total number of uses of force by type of force for 2013-17, separated by year. Since you only have data for 2015-17, can you please just tell me for each year separately the total number of incidents in which the following types of force were used (which, I believe based on your description should have all been reported):
1. Number of incidents in which a taser or other electronic control device was used
2. Number of incidents in which a baton, other impact weapon or impact projectile was used
3. Number of incidents in which a carotid restraint was used
4. Number of incidents in which OC Spray or other chemical devices were used

Thank you!

Sam

From: Roseville Police Department

02/13/2019

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Use of Force/Complaints Data (Roseville Police Department)

Hi Sam,

I apologize for just getting back to you. Our internal City of Roseville email filters keep routing your requests to our spam folder and so I am not getting timely notifications of your emails. I have changed folder preferences, so hopefully this doesn’t keep happening. Please allow this email to acknowledge receipt of your follow-up request for information. I am looking into the specific data you requested to see if those records exist. I will be in touch with whether or not we have such records.

Sincerely,

Joseph Speaker
Deputy City Attorney
City Attorney’s Office
o: (916) 774-5325
f: (916) 773-7348

Civic Center | 311 Vernon Street | Roseville, CA | 95678
[Roseville_logo_RGB_2016-01]<http://www.roseville.ca.us/gov/city_attorney/default.asp>
[cid:image011.jpg@01D2BCDD.52BA48A0]<https://www.facebook.com/cityofroseville>[cid:image012.jpg@01D2BCDD.52BA48A0]<https://twitter.com/CityofRoseville>[cid:image013.jpg@01D2BCDD.52BA48A0]<https://www.instagram.com/cityofroseville/>[cid:image014.jpg@01D2BCDD.52BA48A0]<http://nextdoor.com/>[cid:image015.jpg@01D2BCDD.52BA48A0]<https://www.youtube.com/user/CityofRosevilleCa>